Where are they now? Checking on former Golden Knights in new homes

One thing about an 82-game season is there are times it’s easy to forget how former players are doing.

The Golden Knights made some changes to the roster over the summer that changed the outlook drastically.

It hasn’t hindered them completely on the ice, as they enter Tuesday’s game against the San Jose Sharks — and the beginning of a four-game homestand — two points back of the Anaheim Ducks for first place in the Pacific Division.

The Knights also have two games in hand on the Ducks, and three on the Edmonton Oilers despite losing 4-3 Sunday in Rogers Place and drawing even at 42 points.

Here’s how those former players are doing away from Las Vegas:

Nicolas Roy, center

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Maple Leafs will head into the Christmas break in last place in the Atlantic Division.

Yes, you read that correctly.

There’s plenty of time to turn things around for Toronto, but it’s been a massive disappointment in their first season without Mitch Marner.

Roy, the player acquired in the sign-and-trade to allow the Knights to sign Marner to an eight-year deal, has had a quiet first year with the Maple Leafs, totaling 11 points in 32 games.

The 28-year-old was traded to Toronto for a bigger role. Roy, as a fourth-line center, had four straight seasons of double-digit goals with the Knights. He scored a career-high 15 last season.

But the offense has dried up as a whole for Toronto. Roy has three goals while averaging about 15 minutes a game.

Nic Hague, defenseman

Nashville Predators

Part of the salary cap gymnastics done to create the cap space for Marner was moving on from Hague, the Knights’ second-round pick from 2017.

The 6-foot-6-inch defenseman was traded to Nashville on June 29, then signed a four-year, $22 million contract in exchange for Colton Sissons and Jeremy Lauzon.

Hague missed the first eight games with an upper-body injury, but has seven points in 27 games. The 27-year-old is playing a career-high 19:41 per game and is on pace for a career-high 19 points.

The Predators got off to an 8-13-4 start, but have since won seven of 10 and sit five points out of a wild-card spot.

Hague will make his return to T-Mobile Arena on New Year’s Eve when the Knights wrap up the homestand.

Victor Olofsson, forward

Colorado Avalanche

Colorado has the best record (26-2-7) in the NHL with one of the best players (Nathan MacKinnon) and best defenseman (Cale Makar) leading the charge.

Sitting comfortably with seven goals and 19 points is Olofsson, who left the Knights after one season and signed a one-year deal with Colorado in August.

Olofsson saw an offensive resurgence with the Knights last season with 15 goals and 29 points, but he missed nearly two months with a lower-body injury.

The 30-year-old sniper recorded his first career hat trick Oct. 28 against the New Jersey Devils. He added a two-goal game on Nov. 4 against Tampa Bay.

Since, then, he’s gone quiet with two goals and five assists in 21 games.

However, the Avalanche haven’t needed Olofsson’s depth scoring, as they’re 18-1-2 since then.

Ilya Samsonov, goaltender

HK Sochi

Samsonov couldn’t find an NHL home after his lone season with the Knights last year, going 16-9-4 with an .891 save percentage and a 2.82 goals-against average.

Samsonov eventually lost the backup goalie job to Akira Schmid heading into the playoffs. That led to him returning to his native Russia and joining HK Sochi of the Kontinental Hockey League.

The 28-year-old has a .912 save percentage, but is 3-6-0 while allowing 3.11 goals.

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.